Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro criticized Congress’ inaction on artificial intelligence regulation after industry leaders offered grim warnings of an AI revolt.
The governor, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, specifically criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson for what he described as abdicating “his responsibility to lead” after the House recessed until the November elections are over. That’s as artificial intelligence experts and CEOs have warned of the growing capabilities of the technology, which some industry experts have gone as far as to say is out of control.
“By the time Congress comes back into session after the election, we could be dealing with a whole new generation of generative AI with more scary examples of AI agents going rogue,” Shapiro said Thursday at the AI Horizons Pittsburgh Summit, a gathering of tech leaders and policy makers.
Shapiro said he is not a “doomer” and touted how his administration has incorporated AI — and fought against its abuses — in Pennsylvania.
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Shapiro used his address to stake out a measured stance on artificial intelligence ahead of his possible 2028 bid. Other potential presidential contenders are scrambling to find their positions on AI after sobering calls this month from members of Congress and the industry itself to slow down the technology’s growth.
“The federal government needs to work with leading researchers and experts, as we’ve done here in Pennsylvania, and with the American people, not against them, to develop strict guardrails on this technology, its development, and its deployment in the real world,” he said.
President Donald Trump has been a champion of AI, arguing that the U.S. must keep a competitive edge on it. He said this week that “a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT” is the only guardrail needed for the industry and wrote on Truth Social that “AI taking over the World, destroying Humanity, and all other things bad, is a HOAX.”
Shapiro countered: “It’s a false choice to say that our only two options in America are to do what Donald Trump is saying — that we should ignore the risks and go full steam ahead — or on the other hand, to completely stop work on AI development indefinitely.”
He called on Trump to make responsible regulation of AI a top issue in his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week while still recognizing the stakes of the global AI arms race.
“We need to beat China on AI,” the governor acknowledged.
The Washington Sun reported this week that Democrats considering a presidential run are looking for advice from the likes of Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), who supports a temporary pause on AI growth, and New York State Assembly member Alex Bores, who started an effort this week to help Democrats create a unified AI agenda after his failed congressional bid.
Shapiro once proposed incentives to bring data centers to cities like Pittsburgh, where he offered Thursday’s remarks, but has since changed course. In August, he signed an executive order to create “strict guardrails” for data center development, aimed at requiring data centers to receive community approval before building and commit to “strict environmental and transparency requirements.”
Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state, currently has 100 proposed data centers, the state government says.
Many members of Congress are now on the campaign trail until November and will have to answer voters’ concerns about AI, in addition to frustrations about rising gas and grocery prices. A poll shared with The Washington Sun found 60% of Americans believe the government should slow down AI development, even if that means letting China catch up. Potential presidential candidates are feeling that pressure too.
Shapiro is among Democrats having “productive conversations” with LinkedIn co-founder and Democratic donor Reid Hoffman, who also co-founded an AI company, Politico reported. Hoffman also named California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.
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